C B F

Australia

Australia is not considered, by the wider football world, as having a realistic chance. And with big teams such as the ones already mentioned, this is not an unfair assessment. But with a battle-hardened unit featuring many of the names and faces from the impressive outing four years ago, Australia was one of the first nations that qualified for South Africa 2010, and remained undefeated across their eight matches in the final stage, five points clear of Japan. Heroic goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer will be crucial, and his form suggests he will be a force to be reckoned with, following a record run of 7 matches without conceding. However, the key player to watch for Australia is, of course,

Tim Cahill

The attacking midfielder scores at an amazing conversion rate for the national team, with his brilliant positional sense and aerial ability. He will be important in attack for a side that is centralised around rocksolid defence.

Italy

Defending champions. Familiar faces. With what appears at a glance to be one of the easier groups in the competition, Italy cannot take their competition lightly just because of a stunning tournament four years ago. Indeed the group features Paraguay, who finished a close second to Brazil in the qualifiers, and a dangerous Slovakia. Italy is a team synonymous with experience, and is entering their 17th Finals campaign. They will depend on stalwarts such as ever-present centre-back, Fabio Cannavaro and Alberto Gilardino in attack. The key player to watch: star keeper Gianluigi Buffon, who has just begun to recapture his best form, which had him labelled as the “best custodian in the world”. The aura surrounding past sides is not quite so prevalent this time around, and Italy will rely on experience crucial at this level to see them through.